Heart-Breaker in Wunderley for GA Men's Hoops over Wilkes-Barre, 96-83
McKeesport, Pa. - Through a Penn State University Athletic Conference upset, the Penn State Greater Allegheny men's basketball team fell to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Saturday afternoon, by a tally of 96-83.
-McKeesport, Pa. - Through a Penn State University Athletic Conference upset, the Penn State Greater Allegheny men's basketball team fell to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Saturday afternoon, by a tally of 96-83.
Freshman guard Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) hammered down the first points of the game with a three-pointer before sophomore guard Curtis Newby (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) put down a free-throw. Sophomore guard Khari Hicks (East Hills, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) laid on points in the paint before Newby matched him. Sophomore guard Jeremy McMunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) and senior guard Jashaun Fontanez (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) each placed three-pointers as Payne continued to inflate the Lion tally in the first six minutes of action. Hicks laid on points from outside the arc as Greater Allegheny found themselves up to a quick 19-5 lead just 7:29 into the ball game.
Back-to-back jumpers by Wilkes-Barre's Chris Cantine helped closed the gap before junior guard Moe Alli (Edison, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) banked a pair of free-throws, 21-15 GA. Sophomore guard Denzel Boyer-London (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) completed a layup as junior guard Jumanne Butler-McDaniel (Somerset, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) added a free-throw, 24-20 with nine minutes until halftime.
Freshman forward Scott Przybysz (Elderton, Pa./West Shamokin) placed a jumper before McMunn put down a layup and one, 29-23 GA. Hicks dropped a three-pointer as Newby and Alli added points. Wilkes-Barre came within one around the three minute mark before Newby denoted a jumper. Through the last three minutes of the first half, Wilkes-Barre went on an 8-0 run to take the lead to go into the half, 44-39.
Fontanez came to the second half with six straight points as Newby followed him with four, as Przybysz56-49 WB. Fontanez and Butler-McDaniel put up points back-and-forth for the Lions as Wilkes-Barre was now leading GA by 15 points with just eight minutes left in regulation.
Alli dropped a three-pointer as Hicks and Newby both put up points from the paint. Fontanez surplused Greater Allegheny with another six points, four from the foul line, as Przybysz made a jumper as the clock wound down to four minutes.
Hicks continued on with two points as McMunn put up two from the foul line. Fontanez strung three points together before Hicks took the final four points to the glass, Wilkes-Barre on top 96-83.
Fontanez led the team with a double-double, recording 23 points and ten board, dishing out five assists and two steals. Hicks dropped 16 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Newby dropped 14 points and nine boards, putting down 66.7% (6-of-9) of his shots taken from the floor. McMunn went 100% (3-for-3) from the foul line with ten points and two steals on the afternoon.
As a team, Greater Allegheny shot 62.5% (15-of-24) from the foul line with 31 buckets from the floor. GA was out-rebounded by Wilkes-Barre 57-44 but coughed the ball up seven less times than the visitors, 17-10. The Lions put up 40 points in the paint with 21 points off turnovers and 16 points on second-chance.
Recording their second Penn State University Athletic Conference loss on the season, the Greater Allegheny men's basketball team (9-9, 7-2 PSUAC) looks to continue their PSUAC schedule at Penn State Lehigh Valley. Tip-off is set for Monday at 8 p.m.